An old video from Bengal falsely shared as attack on BJP supporters campaigning for votes in Gujarat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 12, 2024
A video showing a group of people attacking BJP supporters is viral on social media and being linked to the upcoming 2024 elections (here, here & here). It is being shared with the assertion that individuals campaigning for BJP in Dwarka, Gujarat, were assaulted by the general public. In this article, we verify the claim associated with the video.
Claim: Video depicting common citizens attacking individuals campaigning for BJP in Dwarka, Gujarat before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Fact: The footage shows a clash that occurred in Hooghly in August 2022 between TMC MLA Asit Majumdar, his supporters, and BJP supporters. Multiple news agencies have reported the visuals back then. The video is unrelated to Gujarat or the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
As the 2024 general elections approach, Gujarat is scheduled to vote in a single phase on 01 May 2024. Although the video being shared does show BJP supporters being attacked, the incident is not recent. It was reported in 2022. Further, the incident did not take place in Gujarat and is unrelated to the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
A search with relevant keywords led us to news reports from August 2022 that showed the same footage. According to these reports, the visuals depict an altercation between TMC and BJP supporters in Hooghly, West Bengal. TMC MLA Asit Majumdar and his supporters allegedly attacked BJP workers after they reportedly harassed him and tried to block his car.
A few other reports from the time, which can be found here, here, here, and here, also covered the incident. All these confirm that the visuals have no connection to Gujarat or the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Previously, when the same video circulated with a different claim, Factly debunked it, and the fact-check article can be viewed here.
To sum it up, an old video from Bengal is falsely shared as an attack on BJP supporters campaigning for votes in Gujarat for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.